By Emily Plishner
One type of flea comb Most pet hounds will not need flea medications. Hounds have short coats, and if they only pick up a few fleas, you can usually see them and pick them off by hand. However, most vets sell flea preventives, recommend them, and profit from selling them. In some warm climates, they may be necessary. Also, if you keep a large pack of hounds, don’t look each individual hound over frequently, bring them to places where a lot of dogs congregate like shows, dog parks, or veterinary offices, or live in a climate that doesn’t get below freezing often, you may find these prevention products are worthwhile, with caution. Also, hunting hounds that come in contact with freshly killed wildlife are very susceptible to fleas leaving kills that are beginning to cool off.
Even though my two redbones do go to dog parks, field trials, etc., they rarely have fleas. If I notice them scratching, or I get a flea bite myself, the first thing I do is go over them with a flea comb. These are fine-toothed combs available at any pet supply store for a few bucks. Some are plastic, some metal.
Fleas are most likely to congregate around the anus and genitals, under the collar, in folds of skin, and on the belly. Check the entire dog for fleas by running the comb through the fur. Disturbed fleas are apt to hop — sometimes several feet, so do this outside or in a confined area, like the bathroom. If you can handle the comb with a thumb free to trap the flea against the comb’s teeth, it is less likely to get away. Fleas have hard shells which make them difficult to kill. I crush them against a hard surface with the flat side of a fingernail or cut them with a knife against a hard surface. Some people just toss them into a bucket of sudsy water, then flush them down the toilet. Check the dog several days in a row, then check again two weeks later—flea eggs take about two weeks to hatch out. In addition to live fleas, the comb is apt to scrape loose flea droppings and flakes of dry dog skin. Flea droppings are brown or black, about the size of pepper flakes. There may be flea eggs mixed in with these, so makes sure you clean these off the floor and comb when done.
Even though my two redbones do go to dog parks, field trials, etc., they rarely have fleas. If I notice them scratching, or I get a flea bite myself, the first thing I do is go over them with a flea comb. These are fine-toothed combs available at any pet supply store for a few bucks. Some are plastic, some metal.
Fleas are most likely to congregate around the anus and genitals, under the collar, in folds of skin, and on the belly. Check the entire dog for fleas by running the comb through the fur. Disturbed fleas are apt to hop — sometimes several feet, so do this outside or in a confined area, like the bathroom. If you can handle the comb with a thumb free to trap the flea against the comb’s teeth, it is less likely to get away. Fleas have hard shells which make them difficult to kill. I crush them against a hard surface with the flat side of a fingernail or cut them with a knife against a hard surface. Some people just toss them into a bucket of sudsy water, then flush them down the toilet. Check the dog several days in a row, then check again two weeks later—flea eggs take about two weeks to hatch out. In addition to live fleas, the comb is apt to scrape loose flea droppings and flakes of dry dog skin. Flea droppings are brown or black, about the size of pepper flakes. There may be flea eggs mixed in with these, so makes sure you clean these off the floor and comb when done.
Combing fleas from a hound The itchy reaction to flea bites is allergic, so if you are having trouble getting the irritated area around flea bites to heal, either on you or the dog, sometimes an antihistamine dose can jump start the process. Over-the-counter antihistamines such as Benadryl (generic name: diphenhydramine) are cheap and readily available at pharmacies for humans. The correct dose for dogs is twice the correct dose for humans. The capsules come in 25 mg. or 50 mg. doses. For dogs, 1 mg./lb. every four hours is the usual dose. Round up—if the dog weighs 60 lbs., its O.K. to give it 75 mg. of diphenhydramine. The only side effects are drowsiness and a slight increase in thirst. Some dogs are sensitive to flea preventives. Treeing Walkers and other hounds with large white patches and pink skin, pads, or noses tend to have more skin sensitivities to everything than those with darker coats and pads. Beyond fleas, other things that may cause rashes and irritations: road salt, general wear and tear from ice or rough surfaces such as concrete sidewalks, weeds, cleaning chemicals, fire retardants in bedding, pine needles, food allergies, etc. Any hound can have reactions to flea preventives, which are usually nerve toxins. Most hounds are able to tolerate the amount of nerve toxin needed to bump off fleas, but a dog with organ damage or an otherwise compromised immune system may be less tolerant. For topical applications, reactions may include fur loss and redness in the area of application. Humans can have reactions to topical flea meds on dogs as well, so think twice before using these on hounds that will be in contact with small children, pregnant women, the elderly, and humans with compromised immune systems. Products that are ingested by the dog may be a better choice in such homes. More severe cases of bad reactions to flea prevention meds or flea remedies (powders, dips, spays, oral medications) can result in symptoms of liver or nerve damage, including shaking or palsies, obsessive licking or scratching, severe lethargy, and sudden weight loss. Any dog showing those symptoms should be taken to the vet immediately. If the flea product was topical, the dog should be wiped off with a damp cloth as soon as the bad reaction is noticed. Hounds sensitive to flea preparations can often use herbal flea collars available at health food stores. Many, but not all, of these are based on the herb pennyroyal, a member of the mint family. These are only somewhat effective, and make the dog smell like toothpaste. However, pennyroyal can be a heart stimulant, so don’t use one of these on a dog with heart issues or a dog that is hyperactive to begin with. Other essential oils used in herbal flea collars include citrus oils, cedar oil, lavender oil, and eucalyptus oil. You can find recipes for homemade herbal flea collars online.
Ingested flea meds and poor quality food can also cause skin irritations. The most common food allergy in dogs is corn, which is used as a filler in most of the cheaper brands of dog food. All dog food sold in the U.S. is labeled with the ingredients in order of importance. If corn is among the first few ingredients listed, you may be better off switching to a different brand. The first few ingredients listed should all be animal-based — meat and meat by-products. Often times there are locally produced brands that are fairly cheap and use minimal corn and other grains.
Ingested flea meds and poor quality food can also cause skin irritations. The most common food allergy in dogs is corn, which is used as a filler in most of the cheaper brands of dog food. All dog food sold in the U.S. is labeled with the ingredients in order of importance. If corn is among the first few ingredients listed, you may be better off switching to a different brand. The first few ingredients listed should all be animal-based — meat and meat by-products. Often times there are locally produced brands that are fairly cheap and use minimal corn and other grains.
Itchy Walker Hound (Mira Images) The white furred/pink skinned hounds tend to be more sensitive to cleaning chemicals, fragrances, and dry skin from excessive bathing. Any of those could trigger a skin problem. If the dog is showing symptoms, check its environment for potential irritants and give the dog one wipe down with a damp cloth to remove the potential contact-irritant, then give it some time to recover. You don't want to be switching foods constantly because you'll never figure out what food is the issue unless you are very systematic about it. Change one thing at a time at several week intervals. On the whole, coonhounds and foxhounds are pretty healthy and can tolerate most foods pretty well, but all the commercial foods are full of foreign-made nutritional supplements that vary in quality over time. A high quality food can have a bad batch and a cheap food can be just fine--but none of them remain consistently formulated.
Disclaimer: The publisher is not a veterinarian, and these are based on her own experiences
Disclaimer: The publisher is not a veterinarian, and these are based on her own experiences
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